Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Montenegro, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Montenegro, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 11.6 years less
In Montenegro, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 85.8% more likely to be obese
In Montenegro, 17.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 53.4% less spent on your healthcare
Montenegro spends $2,908 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 71.5% fewer doctors per person
Montenegro has 27.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 97.2% more likely to die by suicide
Montenegro has a suicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Montenegro, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 89.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Montenegro, 20.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 55.5% less money
Montenegro has a GDP per capita of $14,817 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 65.0% more children
In Montenegro, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 19.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Montenegro, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Montenegro, approximately 1.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Montenegro, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 11.8% less likely to have internet access
In Montenegro, approximately 88.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 9.5 times more coastline
Montenegro has a total of 294 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 55.3 times more likely to be murdered
Montenegro has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Montenegro, road accidents kill 9.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 83.4% less home broadband
Montenegro has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 28.9% less electricity
Montenegro uses 4,564 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 21.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Montenegro, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Montenegro vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Montenegro? See an in-depth size comparison.